Ujjain : The proposed encroachment drive to pull down permanent and temporary encroachments in different parts of the city and Simhastha Fair area was once again put-off even as the Ujjain Municipal Corporation (UMC) authorities were chalking out various strategies to surmount the gigantic problem facing with increasing pressure and court hearings.
Sources in the UMC indicated that the UMC was preparing target a large number of encroachments in Mangalnath temple are, Agar Road, Barnagar Road and other mela areas. Even hundreds of notices were also issued to encroachers in the municipal zone number 1 and 3 but, no encroachment removal drive was taken out. It was also learnt that the UMC had made a request in writing to the SP for providing police force to accompany the UMC team during the proposed demolition drive to ward off any eventuality. However, the authorities put off the action at the last minute without citing any reason.
In fact, putting off encroachment removal drives under pressure from senior political leaders, most of them belonging to the ruling BJP has almost become a routine for the corporation officials even though the civic body is facing proceedings in the High Court for its failure to remove thousands of encroachments across the city. It is clear that the UMC top brass finds dealing with encroachments a tough task is more than evident from the manner the issue is dragging for the past several years. Barring a few exceptions when demolition was carried out in the right earnest, mostly a few structures are pulled down, portion of a building is razed or some shanties are demolished a little before, just for a show off.
The sources also said when it came to removal of brazen encroachments by shopkeepers in areas such as Freeganj, Tower Chowk, Gopal Mandir, Sarafa, Patni Bazaar, Mahakaleshwar temple and many other commercial hubs in the city, the UMC officials choose to look elsewhere for the reason that those on the other side of the law enjoy political patronage. It is for this partisan attitude that whenever an encroachment removal drive is carried out in the city, the affected persons charge the UMC with being selective in clearing the encroachments. The corporation only targets those who are not politically connected while the high and mighty always manages to escape the tentacles of law, said a shopkeeper of the Mahakaleshwar temple. He added that the officials are cracking the polythene ban whip on us, while they do not have guts to raid the high profile shops of the city.
